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"I need a New PC!" 2013 Part 2. Haswell = #IntelnoTIM, but free online. READ THE OP.

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QaaQer

Member
So how exactly do memory compatibilities work?

I mean, I know you'd need a new motherboard slot type to support it, but could current processors use it on newly designed motherboards or does it always require new processors and new motherboards?

I'm assuming the cpu would need a new on-die memory controller.
 
Anyone know with NewEgg (specifically the Canadian NewEgg) if the codes for Batman/AC4/Blacklist are emailed to you or otherwise given digitally or are they inserts in a box you get when the piece arrives?

They're code cards.

Note, Batman is 1 card and ACIV and Splinter Cell are another card. Only 2 total codes for the 3 games.
 
I have to admit I was a little depressed looking at this gaming forum and my twitter feed with the PS4 launch. I felt left out after I canceled my PS4 and Xbox One. I have to keep telling myself that there's not a game I want to play right now for it. I would have played with the menus and then it would probably collect dust until next fall.

Hurry up EVGA with that 780ti Classified! Also, Steam fall/winter sale will make everyone forget the new consoles.
 

teiresias

Member
I just saw this, apparently DDR4 memory will be released next month.

Is this old news? Worth factoring into a potential upgrade at this stage?

DDR4 is pretty much the main reason I skipped Haswell and am still running my old i7-870 from like three years ago. I'm not feeling any huge CPU restrictions from what I do and play yet, so I'd prefer to wait on the platforms to get this upgrade than jump now.

As for PS4, I want one, but cancelled my pre-order when I was furloughed. Of course, I regretted it later, so I MAY get one for christmas as a gift, but I'm not going to sweat getting one until Infamous is out.
 
Give my short builder story.

New rig had been running fine for over a week, no problems. Finally ordered a video card and installed it on Wednesday. Also installed a fan power splitter wire at the same time.

About 9pm, everything was working fine. Went downstairs, came up around 10pm, system is dead. Nothing. Power button made the lights on my fans flash for half a second, nothing else happened. I figured bad power supply even though it was only a week old.

Finally got to looking at it last night, turns out one of the wires from the fan power splitter came out of its heatshrink and must've been shorting out the system.

Moral: double check wires, especially small cheap wires, to make sure they're properly constructed before installation. Took out that wire, everything is fine again.
 

RedSwirl

Junior Member
This shit just doesn't end. I still haven't been able to pull the trigger in my planned build yet and DDR4 comes oust of the woodwork with new motherboard requirements.
 

Jordan

Member
So, not really sure whether to ask here or not.

I am using the below cable to connect my PC to my AV Receiver (Yamaha YHT-196) and I don't seem to be able to get 5.1 Surround Sound to work properly, I only get the choice for 2 channels within every bit of audio software available. Am I wrong in thinking that this cable is capable of doing 5.1 or am I missing something. My audio drivers are up to date.

Motherboard is MSI Z87-G45
Cable is:
048EaT9.jpg
 
Everyone needs to calm down about DDR4. It's not going to be available until late 2014 or whenever Haswell-E comes out. It will be expensive, and it still remains to be seen how much of a performance improvement it will be. It is the future, but like 4k it's 2-3 years away for most of us. If you are holding off on a major upgrade for DDR4, you are doing it wrong unless you have sandy bridge or newer, then you can wait.
 
So, not really sure whether to ask here or not.

I am using the below cable to connect my PC to my AV Receiver (Yamaha YHT-196) and I don't seem to be able to get 5.1 Surround Sound to work properly, I only get the choice for 2 channels within every bit of audio software available. Am I wrong in thinking that this cable is capable of doing 5.1 or am I missing something. My audio drivers are up to date.

Motherboard is MSI Z87-G45
Cable is:
048EaT9.jpg

It's an optical digital cable and it is capable of 5.1 surround sound. If you right click the audio icon in your system tray it should bring up a context menu. Click Playback devices. There you should see the output to your receiver. Right click that and click configure speakers. Is 5.1 listed there?
 

kharma45

Member
I thought Haswell-E was the first CPU to support DDR4?

Which is a server CPU and crazy expensive for gamers.

Haswell-EP is the server one, Haswell-E is targeted at enthusiasts and will support DDR4 next year. An i7 one of those (going by SB-E and IB-E) is roughly the same price as a Haswell one, sometimes cheaper. It's the motherboards that are pricier.

one of my friends hit 6gb of ram while playing, so i dont mind have 16 gb and a GPU with 3gp ram to at least meet the lowest memory size standards for the next gen.

i bought the case for $215
PSU for $178
HDD for $169
also bought Logitech G600 MMO Gaming Mouse for $60

bear in mind i've these parts -except the mouse- since FEB 2012, that's why the prices aren't that good

now i got some bucks, wanted to cover the old loss by buying something good and wont get rusty as long as possible

So we've $578 to play with then? As for your friend hitting 6GB that sounds... unusual. Was it a heavily modded game? Could also just be a memory leak from something.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($225.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.85 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($65.94 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $566.76
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-15 11:45 EST-0500)

You could get an SSD further down the line but you're talking $85 at present for 120GB.

If you insist on 16GB of RAM then you'd be looking at this

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($225.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Biostar Hi-Fi Z87W ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($98.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($125.80 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $560.77
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-15 11:47 EST-0500)
 

Jordan

Member
It's an optical digital cable and it is capable of 5.1 surround sound. If you right click the audio icon in your system tray it should bring up a context menu. Click Playback devices. There you should see the output to your receiver. Right click that and click configure speakers. Is 5.1 listed there?

It is not :(

b56rOdi.png
 

Cyrillus

Member
Current Build:
CPU: AMD Phenom II 955 BE (@3.6GHz)
MB: MSI 770-C35
RAM: 8GB (2x4GB) G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3 1600
GPU: Sapphire Vapor-X R9 280X 3GB
PSU: Corsair CMPSU-650TX
SSD: Samsung 830 256GB



Money I have to work with: ~$500

What I plan on upgrading:

CPU: Core i5-4670K ~$240
MB: MSI Z77A-G45 ~$120
RAM: Team Vulcan 8GB (later going to do 16GB) DDR3 1600 ~$54

My plan is to re-use all the parts in my current build that aren't CPU, MB, RAM. Does this look like a good plan on about a ~$500 budget? I should probably mention that my goal is to be able to play current games (mostly BF4, WoW, and Smite) at 1440p on medium/high settings.

How does it look, GAF? Thanks in advance for the input!
 

kharma45

Member
Current Build:
CPU: AMD Phenom II 955 BE (@3.6GHz)
MB: MSI 770-C35
RAM: 8GB (2x4GB) G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3 1600
GPU: Sapphire Vapor-X R9 280X 3GB
PSU: Corsair CMPSU-650TX
SSD: Samsung 830 256GB



Money I have to work with: ~$500

What I plan on upgrading:

CPU: Core i5-4670K ~$240
MB: MSI Z77A-G45 ~$120
RAM: Team Vulcan 8GB (later going to do 16GB) DDR3 1600 ~$54

My plan is to re-use all the parts in my current build that aren't CPU, MB, RAM. Does this look like a good plan on about a ~$500 budget? I should probably mention that my goal is to be able to play current games (mostly BF4, WoW, and Smite) at 1440p on medium/high settings.

How does it look, GAF? Thanks in advance for the input!

That CPU isn't compatible with that motherboard. For a 4670K you need a Z87 motherboard, or to use a Z77 you need a 3570K.

So it'd either be this PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($225.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.85 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($65.94 @ NCIX US)
Total: $456.77
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-15 13:33 EST-0500)

or this

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.85 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($65.94 @ NCIX US)
Total: $415.76
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-15 13:33 EST-0500)

Also, why don't you want to re-use your RAM?
 

NoRéN

Member
What I plan on upgrading:

CPU: Core i5-4670K ~$240
MB: MSI Z77A-G45 ~$120
RAM: Team Vulcan 8GB (later going to do 16GB) DDR3 1600 ~$54

Like Kharma said, you need to get the i5 3570k for that motherboard.
But, since it's on sale today at newegg you could get that combo and use code on the motherboard's page to get the price down to $300 for the set and a $20 rebate.
 
So we've $578 to play with then? As for your friend hitting 6GB that sounds... unusual. Was it a heavily modded game? Could also just be a memory leak from something.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($225.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.85 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($65.94 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $566.76
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-15 11:45 EST-0500)

You could get an SSD further down the line but you're talking $85 at present for 120GB.

If you insist on 16GB of RAM then you'd be looking at this

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($225.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Biostar Hi-Fi Z87W ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($98.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($125.80 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $560.77
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-15 11:47 EST-0500)

my friend is really unusual when it comes to consuming resources :p

alright, i like your selections, but i'll have to ask you bout some of your choices compared to some were on my mind , here we'll be talking performance , ignore the budget for now unless i'm getting the same performance for less price.

why this:
G.SKILL Ares Series

but not this:
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series

why this:
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus

but not this:
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO

bout the motherboards you chose in this post and the previous one, i was aiming for any thing from asrock, asus or msi gaming, unless your choices are giving me the same / better performance for a better price, i'd go with yours then.


bout the GPU, honestly i'm not an AMD GPU fan, i like NVIDIA's more for its stable drivers, also i was aiming to get at least 3GB for minimum next gen requirements.what's your opinion in this?

anyways, i was aiming to get at least 2GB GDDR5 or more from MSI, 760 or 770 from lightning category, and then it came twin frozer gaming category, if it's better than the regular twin frozer and equals to lightning, i may give this category a chance
what's your thought bout this? also by the comparison of your suggestion on amd 7850

thanks again and sorry for the long and many questions
 

Jag

Member
So it'd either be this PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($225.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.85 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($65.94 @ NCIX US)
Total: $456.77
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-15 13:33 EST-0500)

I really like this config for upgrading my rig. Does it make sense to buy these now or wait for possible BF/CM pricing discounts?

Here's an even stupider question if you guys can put up with me :p

I'm running a Dell with a Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 920 @ 2.67GHz would these i5s be an upgrade. My rig feels sluggish for gaming for some reason.
 

NoRéN

Member
I really like this config for upgrading my rig. Does it make sense to buy these now or wait for possible BF/CM pricing discounts?

Here's an even stupider question if you guys can put up with me :p

I'm running a Dell with a Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 920 @ 2.67GHz would these i5s be an upgrade. My rig feels sluggish for gaming for some reason.

I'm very tempted to get that cpu/mobo combo as well. But, i've yet to decide if I just want an i7 instead.

As far as you bf question, I doub't price would increase from now until then. If you can afford to wait, I guess why not. However, here's newegg's ad from last year:
http://promotions.newegg.com/NEemail/Nov-0-2012/Pre-BF_72Hs-19/index-landing.html

Not much in cpu deals. 1155 motherboards were on sale so I would hope some 1150 motherboards go on sale this year.
 

Azulsky

Member
So I need a 140mm for the back of my case.

The SLI 780's are increasing the temps in my case too much for my liking. 780TI with blower coolers are inbound but that could be a month away depending on when EVGA decides to move on the step up queue.

I need something that I can tune to actually flush air out the system when 500W of video cards are at 100% load. I have no concern for noise with this because when it is full on I will have headphones on and games blaring.

I anticipate that I might need a fan controller instead of the motherboard header. Asus says 12W for the CPU fan so I am going to assume the Chassis connectors are less than that.

Just hit me with recommendations.


Im thinking this

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1..._w_Hydro_Dynamic_Bearings_AK-FN063.html#blank
 
The Realtek is most likely only able to do 5.1 over analog inputs and only stereo over optical. I found this out after countless days trying things on my HTPC. You need a MB / sound card that offers DTS Connect.

Yup, I was looking into it. To get digital 5.1 it requires Dolby Digital Live or the DTS equivalent which real time encodes the output into DTS or Dolby Digital 5.1. The fact that it doesn't show up as an option isn't a limitation but due to the fact that your motherboard manufacturer didn't license it, which is apparently rare.
 
I really like this config for upgrading my rig. Does it make sense to buy these now or wait for possible BF/CM pricing discounts?

Here's an even stupider question if you guys can put up with me :p

I'm running a Dell with a Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 920 @ 2.67GHz would these i5s be an upgrade. My rig feels sluggish for gaming for some reason.

You need to overclock. If should be able push your chip to ~3.3-3.5 Ghz without a new cooling solution, though it of course depends on whether your PC allows it.

On a side note I don't know why the ATX standard still lives. I had to move and now I have an undying hate for my Antec 300. Hardly anyone needs 4 PCI-E slots, Micro-ATX should be the standard.
 

Jag

Member
You need to overclock. If should be able push your chip to ~3.3-3.5 Ghz without a new cooling solution, though it of course depends on whether your PC allows it.

On a side note I don't know why the ATX standard still lives. I had to move and now I have an undying hate for my Antec 300. Hardly anyone needs 4 PCI-E slots, Micro-ATX should be the standard.

Thanks. I'll look into that. Not sure if I can do it with a stock Dell mobo though. I'm also going to replace my 5700 with the 7850 listed here. That should give me a graphics boost as well.
 

THE:MILKMAN

Member
Amazon doing a good price on a 4670K atm, £160 http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00CO8TBOW/

*Looks at brother shaking my head*

Quick update on his build which I finished this morning.

Everything went well and seems to be working, but with one quirk/possible problem. When cold booting the (Intel) CPU fan stutters a couple of times before kicking in and spinning.

This video shows exactly what its doing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqY-93DlUrw&list=UU7u8zdEi-GrCBF-6blGZO8Q&index=1&feature=plcp

It boots fine and temps seem good to me at 26-28c after cold boot/idle and 56-58c after a few hours doing raids in WoW according to RealTemp. He does have 5 120mm, 2 80mm case fans plus a neon light strip in there too!

Specs:

i5 4570@Stock
8GB Crucial Tactical @1600Mhz
Gigabyte Z87 HD3
Radeon HD6850
WD10EZEX 1TB
Coolermaster Silent Pro Gold 550W
 

Cyrillus

Member
That CPU isn't compatible with that motherboard. For a 4670K you need a Z87 motherboard, or to use a Z77 you need a 3570K.
Good eye, I skimmed over that.
So it'd either be this PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($225.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.85 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($65.94 @ NCIX US)
Total: $456.77
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-15 13:33 EST-0500)

or this

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.85 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($65.94 @ NCIX US)
Total: $415.76
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-15 13:33 EST-0500)

Also, why don't you want to re-use your RAM?
Thanks for all the info! I'll probably go with the 4670k and an LGA1150 mobo, just on the off chance that the socket gets used for awhile. My socket 939 mobo lasted me through 2 CPUs, so here's hoping.

Also, I'm not re-using the RAM because I will be putting the old mobo, CPU, and RAM into another rig.

NoRéN;90005702 said:
Like Kharma said, you need to get the i5 3570k for that motherboard.
But, since it's on sale today at newegg you could get that combo and use code on the motherboard's page to get the price down to $300 for the set and a $20 rebate.
Silly mistake, thanks for pointing it out! Also that combo deal is nice, but I think I'm going to go with an LGA1150 mobo.

Thanks for the proof-reading/advice!
 

TheBear

Member
Your bottleneck is your CPU, even an I5-4570k pegs 100% load in multiplayer on that game. From what I've seen, you get more performance on an i7 b/c of hyperthreading. If you really really wants 60fps, you can lower your settings, or buy a new CPU/mobo.

So there aren't any CPU's worth upgrading for my current mobo?
 
So a fan in my Corsair 600t is going. It's been rattling off and on. Even though the case is out of warranty, Corsair is sending me a new fan for free. It's companies with that kind of customer service that deserve loyalty. I hear EVGA is pretty good like that as well, which is why I'll be getting the EVGA Classified 780 ti when it hits the streets.
 

adg1034

Member
Hey guys! So I'm starting to buy the parts for my new PC really soon! My first piece will the case and I found this: Rosewill Armor-EVO Gaming E-ATX Mid-Tower case. It's on sale so I'm thinking of taking advantage of it. What do you think?

52499460.jpg

This could be fine, but I'd actually start by checking out Anandtech's comprehensive case reviews. Flash (like the red LED fans) can always be added in later, but you want to make sure that the case you choose is both easy to build in and has good noise/cooling performance. (Most cases focus on one or the other, since more airflow usually equals better cooling but more noise, while less airflow usually equals worse cooling but less noise.)

Figure out what you're looking for performance-wise first, then keep on looking. For my opinion, if you're looking for something reasonably flashy, check out the NZXT Phantom 630 or the H630. One focuses on cooling, the other on silence. They're more expensive than the Rosewill you linked to, but you honestly do get what you pay for. Plus, you can get the Phantom 630 for $110 refurbished directly from Newegg.
 

kharma45

Member
my friend is really unusual when it comes to consuming resources :p

alright, i like your selections, but i'll have to ask you bout some of your choices compared to some were on my mind , here we'll be talking performance , ignore the budget for now unless i'm getting the same performance for less price.

why this:
G.SKILL Ares Series

but not this:
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series

why this:
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus

but not this:
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO

bout the motherboards you chose in this post and the previous one, i was aiming for any thing from asrock, asus or msi gaming, unless your choices are giving me the same / better performance for a better price, i'd go with yours then.

bout the GPU, honestly i'm not an AMD GPU fan, i like NVIDIA's more for its stable drivers, also i was aiming to get at least 3GB for minimum next gen requirements.what's your opinion in this?

anyways, i was aiming to get at least 2GB GDDR5 or more from MSI, 760 or 770 from lightning category, and then it came twin frozer gaming category, if it's better than the regular twin frozer and equals to lightning, i may give this category a chance
what's your thought bout this? also by the comparison of your suggestion on amd 7850

thanks again and sorry for the long and many questions

For your question about RAM it's simply based on price, same for the cooler.

ASUS has good motherboards but I'd tend to steer clear of the Extreme4 after it's Z77 incarnation and MSIs G45 has crap VRM cooling. The Gigabyte is a pretty brilliant board for the price but the Asus one for the same money is good. Biostar stuff is good now too, the reason I've chosen it for the second build though is it's pretty much all I can fit in with 16GB of RAM being chosen.

If you'd rather go Nvidia that's fine but your concerns about VRAM will be more of an issue there as they have the 650 Ti Boost and 660 on a 192-bit bus so the 2GB ones are effectively a 1.5GB card whereas the AMD is on a 256bit bus and doesn't have that issue. Plus it's an extra $60 over the AMD card for the cheapest 660 and an extra $34 for the 650 Ti Boost http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID= and http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

AMD drivers are equally as stable as Nvidia at this point in time, just less feature rich.

As for 3GB of VRAM, it'll not matter on cards at this end of the market.

I really like this config for upgrading my rig. Does it make sense to buy these now or wait for possible BF/CM pricing discounts?

Here's an even stupider question if you guys can put up with me :p

I'm running a Dell with a Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 920 @ 2.67GHz would these i5s be an upgrade. My rig feels sluggish for gaming for some reason.

No harm in waiting, it's not long now.

Good eye, I skimmed over that.

Thanks for all the info! I'll probably go with the 4670k and an LGA1150 mobo, just on the off chance that the socket gets used for awhile. My socket 939 mobo lasted me through 2 CPUs, so here's hoping.

Also, I'm not re-using the RAM because I will be putting the old mobo, CPU, and RAM into another rig.

Silly mistake, thanks for pointing it out! Also that combo deal is nice, but I think I'm going to go with an LGA1150 mobo.

Thanks for the proof-reading/advice!

Broadwell will use 1150 but it'll not be much of an improvement in terms of performance.
 

El_Chino

Member
This could be fine, but I'd actually start by checking out Anandtech's comprehensive case reviews. Flash (like the red LED fans) can always be added in later, but you want to make sure that the case you choose is both easy to build in and has good noise/cooling performance. (Most cases focus on one or the other, since more airflow usually equals better cooling but more noise, while less airflow usually equals worse cooling but less noise.)

Figure out what you're looking for performance-wise first, then keep on looking. For my opinion, if you're looking for something reasonably flashy, check out the NZXT Phantom 630 or the H630. One focuses on cooling, the other on silence. They're more expensive than the Rosewill you linked to, but you honestly do get what you pay for. Plus, you can get the Phantom 630 for $110 refurbished directly from Newegg.

Thanks for the heads up! but I'm actually looking for a mid-tower case with budget around $100 (I could find some wiggle room if the case is worth it. Also, I was looking for a balance of quietness and cooling.
 

adg1034

Member
Thanks for the heads up! but I'm actually looking for a mid-tower case with budget around $100 (I could find some wiggle room if the case is worth it. Also, I was looking for a balance of quietness and cooling.

Given that, I'd look at the Fractal Design Define R4 (which has a great Anandtech review) or the Corsair Carbide 330R (same)

The Define is going for $80 right now, while the 330R is going for $60.

Another tip: PC Part Picker is your best friend.
 

kharma45

Member
Thanks man! Here's my builld: Any thoughts?

If you're gaming you don't need 16GB of RAM, 8GB is the sweet spot.

Don't get a 290 now, wait for non-reference ones.

PSU is overkill for a single GPU system. If you want a high efficiency one you can go cheaper

830 is overpriced since it's out of production, get an 840 Evo.

Go Z87 for the mobo.

Even with a 290 this is cheaper

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($225.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.85 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($65.94 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 4GB Video Card ($405.91 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Rosewill Tachyon 550W 80+ Platinum Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.48 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit - OEM (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VE278Q 27.0" Monitor ($269.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $1599.09
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-15 18:56 EST-0500)

My advice would be hold fire until we see custom cooled 290s, or go for a 780.
 

DarkFlow

Banned
Since this thread helped me build my PC 2 years ago, I figured you guys can help me upgrade lol.

This is what I have:
i3-2120 3.3Ghz
ASUS P8H61-M LE/CSM (REV 3.0)
Sapphire 6870
Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 500w Power Supply
Kingston Technology HyperX 8 GB (2x4 GB Modules) 1600 MHz DDR3
Seagate Barracuda 500 GB HDD SATA 6 Gb/s
Cooler Master HAF 912

Budget: Around $1000 or so. I also plan on getting a PS4 at the same time, so the more I spend on this, the less I have to use on the PS4.

So far I plan on doing this, but you have better ideas let me know. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep the motherboard or not. I don't care about OC, and I don't need the latest Haswell chip, but if I can afford it, then sure why not.

Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM as a Add on HDD.
EVGA GeForce GTX 770 4GB
Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V

Total: $713.95

So any ideas? Also forgot to add, this will be done in Feb after I get my tax money.
 

kharma45

Member
I'd grab a 760 instead of the 770 (save the big money for 20nm) and get an SSD into that system.

Make sure too that Corsair isn't a CX 750, they're not great.
 

DarkFlow

Banned
I'd grab a 760 instead of the 770 (save the big money for 20nm) and get an SSD into that system.

Make sure too that Corsair isn't a CX 750, they're not great.

It's that HX750 you told me about yesterday. :D I might even get a 780 If I can find it. I still have around $300 to play with.
 
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